The Jackson City Council took the first steps toward creating a public safety department Tuesday.

The council voted 5-2 to direct City Attorney Julius Giglio to write a ballot proposal to form a public safety department.

Giglio said he will submit the ballot language to council by Feb. 22. The council will then decide whether to put the proposal on the May 3 ballot.

Councilmen Carl Breeding and Andrew Frounfelker, who voted against the motion, said they didn’t have enough information about the department.

“We haven’t even decided if we are going that direction,” Breeding said.

City Manager Warren Renando said it’s not up to council.

“Who decides something like this? The people decide,” Renando said.

Voters overwhelmingly passed a charter amendment in August that said the police and fire departments would not be combined into a public safety department without a vote of the people.

Renando said if voters approve the creation of a public safety department in May, he would propose keeping the few firefighters who have police training, eliminating the rest of the department, and hiring 10 employees who have both police and fire training.

Renando said the approach to starting the department would be faster and cheaper than others but also “brutal.”

Renando said he is not picking on firefighters and police officers but the city is in a financial crisis and the police and fire departments account for two-thirds of the general fund budget. He also said creating a public safety department is not his favorite option but it’s the only option he has.

The city’s fiscal year starts July 1 and Renando said he will set the budget assuming voters will pass the ballot issue. If they don’t, Renando said he will propose laying off 15 firefighters, up to eight police officers and cut $1 million in other departments to balance the budget.

Frounfelker said he was concerned that Renando did not discuss the proposals at the last council meeting and started to ask questions when Councilman Daniel Greer motioned to end debate. That motion also passed 5-2 with Frounfelker and Greer voting no.